Local cuisine and restaurants in Genoa

If it’s true that the soul of a people is also recognized by its local gastronomy and the place’s culinary tradition, then it is fundamental to know its typical products and hidden stories, just like the filling of a delicious meat Raieu from the former Maritime Republic.

Genoa is home to unique flavors and many typical dishes of the sea and land tradition: Torta Pasqualina, çimma, pansoti, sarsa de noxi (walnut sauce), Lagaccio biscuits, canestrelli, green sauce, cappon magro, ravieu (meat ravioli), sarsa de pigneu (pine nut sauce), pandoçe, u toccu (meat sauce), corzetti, pànera, Genoese Quaresimali and, above all, pesto and fügassa (Genoese focaccia).

Let’s see then where to savor these delicious specialties for lunch or dinner. Among the carruggi of the ancient historic center there is the Antica Osteria di Vico Palla, Cantine Squarciafico, the Gran Ristoro shop and the Hostaria Ducale. Not far from the sea, in Via al Ponte Calvi, instead appears the trattoria Le Maschere. Your trip to Genoa, one made of gastronomy and good eating, certainly begins here.

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Four typical restaurants where to eat in Genoa

Open since 1500 in the heart of the historic center, the Antica Osteria di Vico Palla was a popular destination for sailors and poets passing through the streets of the old port.  A stone's throw from the Aquarium and therefore from the most beautiful monuments of Genoa, Chef Maurizio Capurro's osteria offers typical dishes of Ligurian cuisine and presents a careful selection of seasonal products and fresh fish exclusively caught in the open sea. The dishes are inspired by the daily life of Zena and the cooking of women for their men returning from fishing, or for wayfarers and passers-by in the city.

Cantine Squarciafico, in Piazzetta dell'Amico 2, is located in the eponymous sixteenth-century palace in the historic center, in a lively and frequented area of Genoa. Ingredients are always fresh and seasonal, and dishes are rigorously homemade. The menu changes daily, among the most popular specialties are pesto mandilli, "seafood paella alla Squarciafico" and Argentinian Angus tagliata. Among the cold dishes stand out meat and fish carpacci, large salads and Genoese tarts.

Cured meats, cheeses and many savory delicacies to be eaten strictly standing. For fifty years, the Gran Ristoro shop has been the must-go place to eat all kinds of custom-filled sandwiches. It is located in Via Di Sottoripa, 27r and is generally always crowded, due to its excellent value for money. Just get in line and wait a few minutes: it will definitely be worth it.

Unlike the three previous solutions, Hostaria Ducale (Salita di San Matteo 29 -Ge) is instead one of the city's youngest restaurants, opened practically only three years ago. But little time was enough for the Hostaria to enter the Olympus of Michelin Guide and Espresso Guide starred cuisine. And although positions can change even in the short term, the business is also included in the TOP 50 Italy. Undoubtedly a gastronomic destination for gourmet dining, with a very careful eye also on the aesthetics of the dishes. In short, a true culinary experience signed by Daniele Rebosio.

Those who love grilled meat can instead delight themselves at La Pineta restaurant, immersed in the greenery of Val Bisagno (in Viale Brigate Bisagno), a few steps from the city center: Argentinian Angus, Piedmontese Fassona, Cinta Senese pork chops and many other tasty specialties.

Note the address of the five restaurants and choose the one that inspires you most.

B&B HOTELS: a stone's throw from the best restaurants in Genoa

Like all historic cities, the best places to eat are always in the&